The Italian art market is governed by a dense body of cultural-heritage law, where aesthetic value meets a sophisticated network of legal obligations. The acquisition, transfer, or exhibition of artworks in or from Italy requires full awareness of a multilayered compliance framework encompassing international conventions, European directives, and national legislation.

This paper provides a structured overview of that framework, focusing on due diligence standards, contractual safeguards, and the coordination of domestic and cross-border authorisations. It examines the legal instruments governing provenance verification, import and export controls, and anti–money laundering compliance, as well as the tax implications associated with art transactions.

By outlining the principal regulatory mechanisms and identifying the critical areas of legal exposure, the analysis offers international stakeholders a comprehensive understanding of the conditions under which art may circulate lawfully within and beyond Italy. In a market that combines cultural prestige with complex compliance demands, a rigorous legal approach remains the only means to ensure secure, traceable, and sustainable operations.

Piselli & Partners can provide judicial and extra-judicial legal assistance in all areas related to art and cultural heritage law, for private owners, owners or holders of movable and immovable property of historical, artistic and archaeological interest, as well as public entities responsible for protecting and preserving cultural and artistic heritage.

For art law we assist private individuals, art galleries and museums for everything related to the protection, circulation and enhancement of works of art and cultural heritage.

For cultural heritage we deal with historic-artistic and landscape constraints, procedures for verifying the cultural interest of the property, authorization procedures for building on protected property, reporting obligations for the commercialisation, sale and purchase of cultural assets, identifying management for cultural sites on behalf of cultural and museum institutions, as well as types of Public-Private Partnership for the redevelopment and management of cultural assets and activities.